Vehicle toy and track therefor



Feb. 10, 1970 J. H. LEMELSON VEHICLE TOY AND TRACK THEREFOR OriginalFiled May 4, 1962 and,

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JEROME l-LLEMELSON ATTORNEY United Statcs Patent 3,494,070 VEHICLE TOYAND TRACK THEREFOR Jerome H. Lemelson, 85 Rector St., Metuchen, NJ.08840 Original application May 4, 1962, Ser. No. 636,136. Divided andthis application Sept. 26, 1968, Ser. No. 762,794

Int. Cl. A63h 33/26, 33/00, 19/36 US. Cl. 46-241 5 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to a toy trackway having a guidefor guiding a toy vehicle therealong, which track includes a tandemarray of teeth adapted to complement an endless array of teeth formed onthe drive member of the toy vehicle so that substantial traction may beprovided for the toy vehicle driven thereover. The arrangement is suchthat the vehicle may be driven along and maintained on the track even atsteep angles.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a divisionof a co-pending application Ser. No. 636,136, filed May 4, 1967, nowPatent No. 3,451,161.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION This invention is directed to a track toycomprising a toy track formed of a suitable material, e.g. plastic orother material having formed there a tandem array of teeth extending thelength of the track which face the toy veh'icle traveling over thetrack. The toy vehicle, which is self-propelled along the track, isprovided with a drive formed of a complementary endless array of teetharranged to mesh with the array of teeth formed in the track. Auxiliarycomplementary means associated with the track and the vehicle areprovided for maintaining the vehicle against the track so as to retainthe vehicle in driving relationship with the teeth of the track even atsteep angles to the horizontal. An object is to provide a powered toyvehicle and a track therefor in which the vehicle may travel along atrack disposed at any attitude relative to the horizontal withoutfalling off the track.

Another object is to provide a new and improved track for toy vehiclesas the like which may be easily shaped into various configurations andon which the toy vehicle may travel at steep angles without falling off.

Another object is to provide a new and improved toy track for a poweredvehicle, which track is provided with means for holding the vehicleagainst the track without interference to its travel along the trackeven while moving along the track at angles which would otherwise causethe vehicle to fall off the track.

This invention may utilize plastic or rubber material in theconstruction of a track and/ or a toy vehicle wheel or prime movingmeans having, in one form, magnetic particle therein adapted forattracting and holding said vehicle against said track by the forces ofmagnetic attraction whereby said vehicle may travel at various attitudesincluding steep inclines to the horizontal or in hanging relation onsaid track. In the embodiment provided hereafter, one or both of the twomembers, track or vehicle, may be magnetized whereby it will always beattracted to the other or attract the other in a manner whereby thevehicle may travel relative to thetrack yet will be held thereagainst.If the vehicle Wheel or drive means. is made of a magnetic plastic whichis magnetized, the track may be made of a similar magnetic plastic or3,494,070 Patented Feb. 10, 1970 magnetically susceptible material whichneed not be magnetized but which will be attracted to the former withsuflicient force to hold the vehicle on the track at steep angles to thehorizontal as it travels therealong.

Conventional thermoplastic polymeric materials may be utilized for bothtrack and vehicle. Whenever magnetic plastic or rubber material ismentioned hereafter, it may be considered to consist of any plasticwhich is filled or mixed with finely divided para-magnetic particlessuch as micro-sized iron powders or ferrites such as barium ferrite. Aparticular available flexible magnetic plastic material is known asKoroseal flexible magnetic strip manufactured by The B. F. GoodrichCompany which may be permanently magnetized. Koroseal flexible magneticstrip has a relatively high demagnetizing force which is over 20 timesthat of carbon steel and nearly twice that of the so called Alnico Vmagnetic material. The residual flux density of Koroseal magnetic stripis approximately 1150 oersteds and its maximum energy product (B.H.P.max.) is .402 times 10. Koroseal magnetic extrusions may be magnetizedin various manners including an arrangement whereby the north pole runscontinuously the length of the strip on one edge and the south pole onthe opposite edge or can have its poles across the width or thickness oralong one face with the two poles along the edge or along one face withalternating poles, and in long continuous lengths. As a result it may beused to continuously attract a magnetically susceptible object such asthe wheel of a toy vehicle. This invention utilizes extrusions of aflexible or rigid magnetic plastic such as Koroseal which are shaped toperform multiple other functions such as guiding a toy wheel or wheelsof a toy vehicle and improving the relative forces between the two.

Wherever provided hereafter, the magnetic plastic is thus eithermagnetized with one pole thereof running the length of the strip membercomprising the track or the tire of the vehicle wheel, or is magnetizedat a plurality of positions along its length. The magnetization may runlateral to the longitudinal axis of the track or strip or parallelthereto in which the poles at a surface of the strip alternate (i.e. N,S, N, S, N, S, etc.) Any of these magnetizing arrangements will effectthe attraction of a wheel made of a para-magnetic material which is notmagnetized such as sheet steel or the like.

In Wheel constructions provided hereafter in which either the wheel orthe rim or tire portion thereof is made of a magnetic plastic, themagnetic portion or rim of the wheel may be magnetized in one of severalmanners. In a preferred embodiment, if the track is made of a magneticplastic it is preferably magnetized with the same pole provided alongone side of its length and the opposite pole along the other. In thisarrangement, the wheel may be magnetized with its rim or tire having thesame pole along the entire outer diameter or periphery thereof whichpole is opposite to that of the pole of the magnetic track portion whichit engages so that a maximum magnetic attraction force is derivedbetween the two.

The invention also consists of certain new and original features ofconstruction and combination of parts hereinafter set forth as claimed.

The nature of the invention, as to its objects and ad vantages, the modeof its operation and the manner of its organization, may be betterunderstood by referring to the following description, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof inwhich:

FIGURE 1 illustrates fragmentary section view of a toy track of thisinvention disposed at a relative steep angle to the horizontal incombination with a self propelled powered vehicle shown in sectiontraveling therealong.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view illustrating theintermeshing relationship of the vehicle drive means and the toy trackmeans.

FIGURE 3 is a detailed sectional view taken along FIGURE 3-3 on FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to the drawings, the illustrated form ofthe invention comprises a track 100 made of a flexible as rigid plasticmaterial which in either case may be magnetized or hereinbeforedescribed, having longitudinally extending guide means 101 formed alongthe longitudinal margins projecting on at least one side thereof forguiding a toy vehicle 105 along the length of the track 100. The track100 consists essentially of a central portion defining the pathway 102and the side of which are inflected or raised for providing side guideportions or rails 101 which extend the length of the track. The sideguides 101 function to define the pathway along which the vehicletravels.

Referring more specifically to FIGURE 2, the track 100 comprises a basemember 109 the upper surface of which may be capped or coated with amagnetic plastic material as a layer or sheet 110 having laterallyextending serrations or projecting rib forming teeth-like formations. Itwill be noted that the projecting ribs 111 extend along at least atransverse portion of the track 100 extending along the entire lengththereof.

The vehicle 105 illustrated is provided with a drive means 106 adaptedto complement the serrations or transversely extending teeth 111 of thetrack 100 so as to effect a drive between the vehicle 105 and the track100. As shown, the vehicle 105 may be driven by means of serrated wheelsor by one or more closed loop tractor belts 107, as illustrated, whichare threaded over complementary wheel means 103, 104, one of which isconnected into driving relationship with a suitable source of power, asfor example, an electric motor 115 which may be battery energized. Theillustrated vehicle belt means 107 may be made of a magnetic ormagnetically susceptible material, and may or may not be magnetizeddepending upon the characteristic of the closed loop belt of thevehicle. The belt or track 107 is driven around at least two drums orsprockets 103-, 104 mounted on shafts 103a and 104a journalled orsupported on the body of the vehicle. By power operating shaft 103a, thebelt 107 may be made to travel in a closed loop or path in a manner soas to engage the upper surface of the track along the longitudinalportion with the portion of its loop which extends beneath the wheels ordrums 103, 104. With sufficient friction between the surfaces of thebelt 107 along length 107a thereof, and the surface of the track, thevehicle will be driven therealong. To enhance the frictional drivebetween the belt 107a and the track 100, the belt 107 is provided withtransversely extended cleated portions 108' which are adapted tocomplement the teeth portion 111 of the track. If desired the belt 107may be made out of flexible magnetic plastic or rubber material of thetype which may be magnetically attracted to the track 100 with asufficient force to cause the length of said belt between the two drumsor sprockets 3 and 104 to drive the vehicle forward even when the track100 is at a relatively steep angle to the horizontal. Depending upon theweight of the vehicle 105 and the relative force of magnetic attractionbetween the surface of the belt or Wheels and the track, the vehicle 105may even hang upside down from the track 100 and be driven therealong bythe closed loop movement of the belt 107. Anyone of several combinationsof materials may be provided for the belt 107 and the track 100 ofFIGURES 1 to 3.

For example: The belt 107 may be made of a flexible magnetic plasticmaterial which is magnetized along its length sufficiently to cause itto be attracted to the surface layer 110 of the track which may also bemade of a magnetic plastic material or sheet metal such as sheet steel.In this embodiment it is not necessary to magnetize the track.

The belt 107 may also be made of a flexible plastic or rubber which isnot magnetized, but which is attracted to the portion of track 110,which is made out of a magnetizable material which is magnetized.

The belt 107 may also be made of plurality of hinged sections of rigidmagnetic plastic each of which is magnetized in a manner such that itwill be held against sheet steel or the like comprising the track 100.In such instances a vehicle may be made to travel vertically up and downthe surface of a steel cabinet and the like.

The member 107 may also be a flat sheet or cylinder of flexible magneticplastic material which is sufliciently flexible to be driven aroundsprockets or drums 103 and 104. Since the magnetic particles have atendency to weaken the plastic in which they are embedded, the belt 107may be reinforced with a core of synthetic fibers, threads or a singlecloth or a thread member embedded therein or laminated thereto on theinternal and/ or external surfaces thereof.

Further features of the toy vehicle 105 include a battery operativelyconnected thereto for the powering motor 115. The motor shaft 116 iscoupled to a drum or wheel shaft 103a through beveled gears 117 and 118.

In FIGURE 1 the vehicle 105 is shown climbing a steeply inclined track100 by engagement of moving magnetic belt 107 meshing therewith. The topof the track 100 may be sheet steel, plastic coated steel or magneticplastic coated metal, wood or other material. While the vehicle 105illustrated has an endless belt 107 for guiding the vehicle over theserrated track, it will be understood that the drive means 106 of thevehicle 105 may comprise circular wheels, the peripheries of which areprovided with serrations for complementing the :transversely extendingtooth portions 110 of the track.

If the afore-described vehicle 105 is sufficiently light enough inweight, it may be made to climb very steep grades or hang upside down onparamagnetic surface of a track 100. However, if the vehicle isrelatively heavy, it may easily slide down a steep incline 0r tumble offdue to the inability of the forces of magnetic traction between thevehicle drive means 106 and the track 100. With a plurality ofirregularities adapted to mate or complement with each other, a furthersupporting means is provided which, together with resulting forces ofmagnetic attraction, will maintain the wheel or belt or drive 106 of avehicle 105 in intimate contact with the base or track 100 at very steepangles. In other words, the maintenance of the vehicle 105 against thetrack or surface is not only dependent upon the friction developedbetween the track and vehicle and which may be enhanced as the result ofthe forces of magnetic atttraction which increases the coeflicient offriction between the two surfaces, ie, the drive 106 and track 100, butalso depends on the reaction of the irregularities in the base or track100 operating on the vehicle 105 which individually supports some of theweight of the vehicle, which weight is transmitted normal to theirregular surfaces.

Referring to FIGURE 2 the track 100 is illustrated as comprising a basemember 109 the upper surface of which is capped or coated with amagnetic plastic material as a layer or sheet 110 having laterallyextending serrations or projection ribs 111 formed therein. The driveunit 106 of the vehicle 105 consists of a base member 107 which may be awheel hub or belt member on the exterior surface of which is mounted acapping member or tire 108 which is externally or exteriorally shapedwith a plurality of ribbed formations 108' adapted to mate with ribformations 111 of the track 100. Thus as the vehicle 105 travelsrelative to the track 100, several of the peripherial rib formations108' of the belt 108 will mate with the respective rib formations orirregularities 111 of the track 100 which will be maintained in surfaceabutment with each other by the resulting magnetic attraction forces,and the drive unit 106 of the vehicle right against 110 at steep anglesto the horizontal without falling or sliding off. As herein describedthe drive 106 of vehicle 105 may represent a wheel or drum and may bemade entirely of magnetic plastic material shaped into a wheel orcylinder as described.

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle toy comprising in combination:

a track made of a flexible material which is free to be formed into anirregular shape and having guide means for guiding a toy vehiclelongitudinally along said track,

said track having a tandem array of teeth extending the length of andsubstantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the track andprotruding in the direction of a toy vehicle traveling said track,

a self-propelled vehicle having a power driven member formed with anendless array of teeth and located whereby said drive member teethengage the teeth of said tandem array of teeth of said track when saidvehicle is positioned to travel along said track, and

auxiliary means associated with both said track and vehicle formaintaining said vehicle against said track and the teeth of said drivemember and track in mesh engagement during the travel of said vehiclealong said track even at steep angles to the horizontal.

2. A vehicle track toy comprising in combination:

a track having guide means for guiding a toy vehicle longitudinallyalong said track,

said track having a tandem array of teeth extending the length of andsubstantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the track andprotruding in the direction of a toy vehicle traveling said track.

a self-propelled vehicle having a drive member formed with an endlessarray of teeth and located whereby said drive member teeth engage theteeth of said tandem array of teeth of said track when said vehicle ispositioned to travel along said track,

the track and drive member of the vehicle being formed of complementarymagnetically attractive material defining auxiliary means formaintaining said vehicle against said track and the teeth of said drivemember and track in mesh engagement during the travel of said vehiclealong said track even at steep angles to the horizontal.

3. A vehicle track toy comprising a combination:

a track having guide means for guiding a toy vehicle longitudinallyalong said track,

said track having a tandem array of teeth extending the length of andsubstantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the track andprotruding in the direction of a toy vehicle traveling said track,

a self-propelled vehicle having a drive member defining a prime movingmeans for said vehicle and depending downwardly from said vehicle, saiddrive member operative for normally supporting said vehicle on a surfaceand driving said vehicle along said surface when said drive memberoperates.

said drive member formed with an endless array of teeth for engaging theteeth of said tandem array of teeth of said track when said vehicle ispositioned to travel along said track, and

auxiliary means associated with said track and vehicle for maintainingsaid vehicle against said track and the teeth of said drive member andtrack in mesh engagement during the travel of said vehicle along saidtrack even at step angles to the horizontal.

4. A vehicle track toy in accordance with claim 3., whereby said drivemember comprises an endless belt having said teeth formed in the outersurface thereof, first and second drum means supported by said vehiclefor guiding said belt in an endless path and for locating said beltwhereby a number of teeth thereof engage a plurality of the teeth ofsaid track during the travel of said vehicle along said track.

5. A vehicle track toy in accordance with claim 3, said prime movingmeans for said vehicle comprising a plurality of wheels, at least one ofsaid wheels having said teeth formed in and extending outwardly from theperipheral surface thereof for engaging the teeth of said tandem arrayof teeth extending along said track when said vehicle is positioned totravel longitudinally along said track.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,541,580 6/1925 Rossini 46-2021,997,512 4/1935 Einfalt 46-202 2,838,009 6/1958 Bonnano 46-2022,895,429 7/1959 Baermann 46202 ANTONIO F. GUIDA, Primary ExaminerROBERT F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 46243

